Inside this issue: Income/Expense 2 From the Pastor.... 3 Adult Forum 4 Summer BBQ 5 Library 6 President Ponderings 7 Kid s Corner 8 Calendar 9 Worship page 10 Social Ministry 11 We at Atonement Lutheran Church reach out with the good news of God s love through Jesus Christ. As Christ s ministry includes everyone, we, too, welcome persons of any ethnicity, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, marital status, age, economic situation, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate the gifts each one brings to the life and ministry of this community of faith. Office Hours 10:00am 3:00pm Tuesday thru Friday School Supplies Needed For Disadvantaged Students incoln County School District Homeless Education and Literacy L Project (H.E.L.P) is collecting school supplies for disadvantaged or homeless students in the district. There are over 450 identified homeless students in Lincoln County and many are unable to purchase new back to school items, including basic school supplies. Atonement Lutheran Church can help ease the burden of a new school year on students and families by collecting items such as the following: 3-ring Binders (3 ) Pkts of colored pencils Pkts of dividers Pkts loose paper, college Composition books School Supplies by Anne Stangeland Website Calendar Boxes of #2 pencils Glue sticks Crayons Folders Social Ministries will have a box on the table closest to the sanctuary to collect all items donated. Your participation in this project is appreciated. Check out our website calendar. It includes all activities on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It is updated to include all changes and new events website: http://www.atonementlutheran.com
Page 2 Income/Expense Snapshot...Atonement Lutheran Church ~ June 2017 General Fund Endowment Account Capital Fund Prayer & P lease join us on Mondays each week for prayer /meditation and bible study. 5:30-7:00pm in Narthex
From the Pastor Pastor Ed Milliken D ear Friends in Christ, In last month s Waves I wrote an article about worship in which I asked the question, Who is worship for? I responded by saying that worship is not about us, but is about God and that when we focus too much on ourselves we distort the very nature and meaning of worship. This month I want to spend a few paragraphs on the Why of worship. Why do we worship? When the church assembles, what are we about? When the congregation gathers, what is it that we congregate for? In her book, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, Marva Dawn identifies three primary reasons for worship which strike a chord in me. They are: to praise God, to form the character of the believer, and the formation of the Christian community. First (and foremost), we worship because of God. God is the subject and the object of our worship. What drives us to worship is what God has done for us in Christ. Thus worship is our response of love to God who, first loved us and gave his Son for us. Worship centers on God who is love, on a God who poured out his very life for us, on a God whose self giving elicits from us a response of adoration, praise, and awe. Because of this, I think it is erroneous to come to worship expecting to receive a blessing. It is erroneous to place our emphasis on what we get out of worship and to expect that worship is about making us feel good, for then we have fallen back into the trap of making worship all Page 3 about us. Indeed, one may well receive a blessing, one may well get something out of worship, on may well leave worship feeling good, but that is a side benefit, that is an added bonus. What is important in worship is not what we get from God but what we give to God. Every act of worship should be seen as an offering, a gift that we give to God in response to the gifts God has first given us. Secondly, worship is about forming the character of the believer. When we come to worship keeping God at the heart and center of what we do, that God will confront us, transform, us, change us, fashion us into the people that God wants us to be. The way in which we worship influences the kind of people we are becoming. If we come to worship centered on ourselves, we will leave as self-centered people. As Marva Dawn writes in her book, We need worship in which we can encounter God and learn that God is trustworthy, that God is large enough to care for us in everything. We need worship that teaches us God s concern and welcome for all our neighbors and invites us to participate in God s purposes on their behalf. We need worship deep enough to change us, strong enough to kill our self-absorption, awe-full enough to shatter the little boxes into which we try to fit God, and thorough enough to address the world s needs because God is already at work to meet them. Thirdly, worship form us into a community, into a body which is centered in God and which acts out its faith in God by loving and serving God and neighbor. ( continued on page 4 )
Page 4 Adult Forum News by Pastor Ed Adult Forum will be on hiatus for July and August 2017. A Note from by Sandy Roumagoux D an and I would like to thank Social Ministry for the wonderful meals they delivered to our door while I was incapacitated from my encounter with our 6 month old Aussiedoodle, Baxter. In stepping backwards after putting Baxter in his crate in our bathroom, I fell and in catching myself really tore up my left hand, especially the thumb (and, yep, I m left handed). A great hand surgeon in Corvallis stitched me up and put my hand back together and with another month or so I should be getting back the use of my hand. I was very lucky. Dan is progressing nicely after his knee replacement surgery. It has been 9 weeks and each day he is stronger. Atonement is a very special congregation and your prayers and healing thoughts have been like warm hugs. We also received our prayer shawls and what comfort and love comes from them. First Friday Lunch Bunch Friday August 4 th 12:00noon. at the Deep End Café 740 W Olive St Newport, Or from the Pastor... (continued from page 3) It is a community centered on the old, old story of Jesus and his love. In worship God forms us into a community because he points us to something which is bigger than we are. Worship that is God centered drives us out into the world to share the good news of God s love for all people through our words and our deeds. Worship isn t evangelism, but it does provide the fuel that we need to be the servant people that God has called us to be. Worship first connects us to God and then connects us to the world which God loves and desires to redeem and reclaim. These are the gifts and the challenges that God gives to we who worship him. Pastor Ed Milliken
Page 5 Property Committee by MaryLou Mate Room Rental: Our church facilities/rooms on the lower level are available for rent...short term events (parties, meetings, weddings) or long term (weekly or monthly) if needed. Please, check with our office for available dates and time. Phone# 541-265-2554 E-mail: office@atonementlutheran.com Health Ministry by Terri McCully Blood Drive: There will be a Red Cross blood drive on August 17th here at the church. They realize that it might be a mess down here, but feel that because of many extra people in Oregon for the Eclipse that they will need extra blood, so they are doing the one at the church on Thursday and one in Waldport on Friday. I need cookies for the blood drive. Please, let (Terri McCulley) know if you will be making cookies or can help with the canteen after people donate blood. Thank You! Summer BBQ by Jean Amundson Great Food, Fantastic Company! August 16 th @ 6:00pm. D on t miss the last delicious summer barbecue at Atonement on Wednesday August 16 th, We will provide tuna and oysters (if available), you bring the side dishes of salads, veggies, and desserts. We re looking forward to fun, visiting, and fellowship, along with plenty of good food. The mealtime prayer will be at 6 p.m. Got company? Just make some extra food to share, and bring em along! This is a great outreach possibility, so be sure to bring some friends/neighbors along as well.
Page 6 Library Committee by Nancy Hilton T hree new books are available for check-out from our library just in time for summer reading. Early Readers "The Life of Martin Luther" by Agostino Traini is a children's pop-up book that tells the story of Martin Luther. Colorful illustrations depict Martin Luther's life from when he decided to become a monk to writing the theses of the Reformation. Young Adults "When Lightning Struck! The Story of Martin Luther" by Danika Cooley. A historical novel about the life of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Each chapter leaves you wanting to read more to learn how Martin Luther grappled with the abuses of the church and what he was going to do about it. This is also a great book for adults to read to younger children. Recently Donated Good Grief A collection of stories as one woman's journey from heartbreak to healing through honesty and humor." By Bobbie Lippman Local author Bobbie Lippman writes about the grief that overcame her after her husband's death. Bobbie's humor and memories help her through a difficult time in her life. P Peace Village by Rhonda Harman eace Village Newport, a multi-cultural, multi-racial, interfaith weeklong day camp for students entering the first through the sixth grades will take place August 7 through 11. It is made possible by many local organizations, volunteers, grants and contributions: a true collaborative effort. It will run from 9:00 am until 3:30 pm at the Campus of Sacred Heart Church (927 N. Coast Hwy, Newport). Peace Village provides a life-changing experience, teaching young campers skills in peaceful interaction and conflict resolution, empathy for others, and respecting our planet. In addition to classes, campers participate in music, crafts, mindful movement, cooperative play, and nature walks. This year they will be designing their own Native American Totems! There are special funds made available this year for families in outlying areas needing assistance with transportation costs. If you live in Siletz, Waldport, or Toledo and wish your child to attend, please inquire upon registration. Cost is $60. A limited number of whole and partial scholarships are available. To register, please contact Earnie Bell at earnie4852@gmail.com or call 541-265-7265.
Ponderings from the President by Susan Painter Page 7 OUT OF THE RUBBLE We are each called to this place, this time and season; We may not yet know the rhyme or reason. *** You are the only you there ever has been. You are not the magician. You are the magic *** You are not here by accident *** There is no grace period. There is only grace. Period. -- from the poem Show Up Writer and arts activist Joe Davis wrote these words during his retreat at Holden Village a few weeks ago. As a metaphor for the village and its chance for renewal, it is also a metaphor for life. Ben Splichal Larson s story and his music were shared at a Vespers celebration in Holden a week after Davis visit. Ben, with his wife Renee, as well as his cousin and best friend, Jon Larson, showed up in Haiti during January, 2010. The three students from Wartburg Theological Seminary [all certified for ordination] came to learn about Haitian culture and to walk with the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti. On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, they were at a home for boys in Port-au-Prince when a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country. The top two floors of their five-story building collapsed on top of them. Miraculously, Jon and Renee were sheltered by a pocket of walls and roofing. They escaped unharmed. Ben, however, was buried in the rubble. As Jon and Renee desperately clawed at the concrete trying to free him, they heard him singing, O Lamb of God, you bear the sin of all the world away; Eternal peace with God you made: give us your peace, we pray. It was the last time anyone heard his voice. The Haitian people brought water and cared for Jon and Renee in a debris-filled lot through the long night. They sang songs of prayer and of thanks to God for life. A few days later, the two left reluctantly, airlifted by US Marines. Ben s body was recovered three weeks afterward. He was 25 years old. Seeking solace in their grief, Jon and Renee returned several times to Haiti. They visited the people who cared for them that horrific night. They were able to see the start of the small country s recovery. As they completed their seminary studies, they struggled with what had happened. I don t believe that God caused the earthquake or that he [wanted] more than 300,000 people to die, Jon recalled.. I don t think it was a test it s the reality of life. We re fragile and death exists in the world. As Christians, we say that death isn t the last word. That s what Easter is about. Resurrection is the last word; death is not. Renee wrote a book, Witness: the Haiti Earthquake, A Song, Death and Resurrection, which was published last year. (continued on page 8)
Page 8 Kid s Corner Maze for Kids Ponderings from the President (continues from page 7) Jon and Renee became pastors, each serving in North Dakota. As the two friends moved forward after their shared loss and unimaginable tragedy, they fell in love and married. One evening last week at Holden Village, just before singing Ben s music at Vespers, several hundred voices joined in a moving rendition of Happy Birthday after hearing that Jon and Renee s second child had been born that day. Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21: 3-4.
Page 9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Nat l Immunization Month 8-5pm OCQG Judging 1 8-5pm OCQG Judging 2 8:00am Men s Breakfast 8-10am OCQG 3 4 12:00pm First Friday Brunch @ Deep End Cafe Int l Beer Day 5 8:00-11:30am Weight Watchers Mtg (Ed Rm) 8:00am Worship 9-12pm Blood Pressure 11:00am Worship Nat l Sister Day 6 Office Closed 5:30pm Prayer/ 6:30pm Parish Life 7 5:30pm Social Ministry Mtg 8 Book Lover s Day 4:00pm Finance 5:30pm HMT 9 8:00am Men s Breakfast 4-9pm OCQG Mtg (FH) 10 11 12 8:00-11:30am Weight Watchers Mtg (Ed Rm) Int l Youth Day 13 8:00am Worship 11:00am Worship Int l Left-handers Day Office Closed 9:30am Property 5:30pm Prayer/ 14 V-J Day 15 6:00pm BBQ 7:00pm Council 16 8:00am Men s Breakfast 17 11-6pm Blood Drive 18 19 8:00-11:30am Weight Watchers Mtg (Ed Rm) Nat l Aviation Day World Humanitarian 8:00am Worship 11:00am Worship 20 21 Office Closed WAVES 22 WAVES Deadline 2:00pm Staff Mtg 23 24 8:00am Men s Breakfast 25 26 8:00-11:30am Weight Watchers Mtg ((Ed Rm) Solar Eclipse 5:30pm Prayer/ Women s Equality Day 27 28 29 30 31 8:00am Worship 11:00am Worship Office Closed 5:00pm Stone Soup @ St Stephens 2:00pm Staff Mtg 8:00am Men s Breakfast Nat l Golf Month 5:30pm Prayer/ 7:30pm Chancel Choir
Page 10 Worship Page Worship Readers Altar Guild Musicians 6 8:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. Barry McPherson MaryLou Mate Lois Greenwood Tami Johnson Tami Johnson 13 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Mike Rawles Rhonda Harman Peggy Gilman Bette Harmon Jerryann Olson Jerryann Olson 20 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Dick Tyler Bette Harmon Marian Brown MaryLou Mate Marian Brown Marian Brown 27 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Denise McPherson Terri Homer Peggy Gilman Lois Greenwood Tami Johnson Tami Johnson Dee Waldo 8/1 3 Walt & Carol Duval Rudy De la Rosa 8/3 12 Ed & Lucy Milliken Olga Buswell 8/4 13 Herb & Sally Jennings Landon Goebel 8/5 Terri Homer 8/9 Graham Mann 8/10 Peter Mann 8/20 Braulio Escobar 8/25 Richard Letherer 8/27 Dorothy Swearengin 8/29 15 Tim & Megan Miller-Morgan 19 Bruce & MaryLou Mate 21 Bob & Jerryann Olson 27 Dick & Lois Tyler 28 Paul & Jean A Amundson 6 Olga Buswell 13 Janice Delameter 20 Bruce & MaryLou Mate Anniversary 27 Marian Brown 6 Peggy Gilman & Paul Stangeland 13 Bob Olson & Pete Kraack 20 Pete Kraack & John Stern 27 John Stern & Terri Homer
Social Ministry Food for Food Share Program by Terri McCulley Page 11 for all the support we have received for this program. Anything is welcome and helpful, but this month we will focus on: Shelf Stable Milk Stone Soup by Sally Jennings tone Soup is a great opportunity to follow Christ's teaching to feed the hungry. Volunteers from Atonement prepare and serve Stone Soup at St. Stephens Episcopal S Church on the fourth Monday of each month. We provide nutritious meals to 40 to 60 hungry, often homeless, people. It would be great to have a group of volunteers who are committed to doing the prep work for or serving and clean up for Stone Soup every month. We often find ourselves shorthanded or having too many volunteers. It is especially difficult to prep, serve and clean up when we are shorthanded. Please consider becoming a regular monthly Stone Soup volunteer, and letting Dee Waldo or Sally Jennings know if you will be helping, or not, each month. Prep work at St. Stephens begins at 3:00 P.M. Serving and clean up work begin at 5:15pm. Our next Stone Soup is on Monday, August 28 th God's work, our hands Infant Formula/Diaper Program by Denise Guild helley Paeth RN, the Program Manager for Maternal and Child Health for Lincoln S County has sent me a lovely note thanking us for diapers. I'd like to share what she had to say : " What a wonderful surprise to find the big boxes of diapers!! You and your church are so generous. Diapers are so expensive and we go through them pretty quickly. They are the perfect thing to get for us. Thank you so much." Reminder... Readers and Worship Recorders We have several openings in August. Signup Sheets located on Bulletin Board in Narthex. Monthly Setup/Cleanup/Snacks Please sign up on any open dates. Board next to Kitchen A great thanks to all who volunteer their time in participating in our Sunday service.
A T O N E M E N T L U T H E R A N C H U R C H 2 3 1 5 N O R T H C O A S T H I G H W A Y N E W P O R T O R 9 7 3 6 5-1 7 1 0 Phone: 541-265-2554 Fax: 541-265-2571 Email: Office@atonementlutheran.com Return Services Requested Reaching Out with God's Reminder... Audio Worship Services & Calendar on website Welcome to Our Church Fill our Food Barrel This Month: Shelf Stable Milk
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A T O N E M E N T L U T H E R A N C H U R C H 2 3 1 5 N O R T H C O A S T H I G H W A Y N E W P O R T O R 9 7 3 6 5-1 7 1 0 Phone: 541-265-2554 Fax: 541-265-2571 Email: Office@atonementlutheran.com Return Services Requested Reaching Out with God's November 3, 2013
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